Book excerpt: PREFACE Of all the battles we are forced to fight on a daily basis, which is the greatest battle? Which is the most important battle? Which battle is the most difficult? Which battle deserves most of our attention? Which battle is the battle of our generation? All of the great religious leaders today agree that the answer to all these questions is pornography and masturbation. That is the battle of our generation! The reason that I have written this book is because I am aware of the fact that unfortunately the area of Shmirat Habrit (protecting oneself from wasting seed) has become the most difficult battle to fight for our generation. However, perhaps the saddest reality about this epidemic is that Shmirat Habrit remains unmentioned in religious communities even though it is very prevalent. Organizations and Rabbis expound on many different topics and problems, yet one can go through his entire life never being educated about the dangers of masturbation. Most people are embarrassed to speak about Shmirat Habrit, though ironically through education, one can find a cure to this epidemic. The purpose of this very book is to remove the taboo that surrounds this topic. This book is the product of several thousands of hours used to compile all the necessary materials to start a revolution. With God's help I hope that this will give people the necessary chizuk and tips to enable a person not to be a slave to his desires. Chazal say the area of Shmirat Habrit is the "Yesod," (foundation) of being a good Jew. The foundation of a building is underground remaining hidden and out of sight, yet, it holds up the entire building. If the foundation is weak then the building can collapse at any point. Similarly, Shmirat Habrit, is also hidden from all others, aside from you and Hashem, yet it is our foundation. If you're not Shomer Habrit then your foundation is weak causing your whole spiritual structure to be fragile. This book is relatively short; yet, one cannot just read it as he would read a storybook. One who reads this proactively and constantly tries to implement the different tips and strategies can be assured that having picked up this book was one of his best life investments. All the material presented here have sources and while some will be from our Sages; others will be from leading psychologists around the globe.